A Thai-flagged bulk carrier bound for India was among three ships struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, prompting New Delhi to deplore the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
A projectile hit the Thai cargo ship Mayuree Naree off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, setting it ablaze. Authorities are searching for three missing crew members from the ship after 20 were rescued by the Omani navy, according to Thailand’s marine department.
The external affairs ministry said: “India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Precious lives, including of Indian citizens, have already been lost in multiple such attacks in the earlier phase of this conflict and the intensity and
lethality of the attacks only seems to be increasing.
“India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided.”
Mayuree Naree was bound for Kandla Port in Gujarat and was scheduled to reach its destination on Saturday morning. It had left Dubai Anchorage on March 6.
According to Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, 28 Indian-flagged vessels are currently operating in the Persian Gulf. Of these, 24 are to the west of the Strait of Hormuz and there are 677 Indian seafarers on board. Four vessels are to the east of the Strait of Hormuz with 101 Indian seafarers.
Iran mines
Iran has deployed about a dozen mines in the Strait of Hormuz, two sources familiar with the matter said, in a move likely to complicate the reopening of the narrow waterway, an important route for shipping oil and liquefied natural gas.
Iran’s military command on Wednesday said the world should be prepared for oil to hit $200 a barrel.
US: No guarantee
The US military warned they cannot guarantee the safety of shipping ports in the Strait of Hormuz, signalling the possibility of strikes. “Civilian ports used for military purposes lose protected status and become legitimate military targets under international law,” the military’s Central Command, which is responsible for West Asia operations, said in a statement.
The statement added that Iran is using the ports “to conduct military operations that threaten international shipping”. That follows reports of attacks on multiple ships in and around the critical waterway over the past day.
US President Donald Trump, however, said “I think they should” when asked if oil companies should be using the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he was not worried about Iran-backed attacks on US soil.
Other vessels
Other than Mayuree Naree, two other ships were hit by projectiles in or near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
Bangkok Post said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had claimed responsibility for two of the attacks. “The Israeli-owned Express Rome ship, flying the Liberian flag, and the container ship Mayuree Naree, were hit by Iranian projectiles and stopped after ignoring the warnings of the IRGC naval forces,” the Guards said in a statement carried by Iran’s ISNA news agency.
Guards navy commander Alireza Tangsiri said in a post on X that “any vessel intending to pass must get permission from Iran”.
Indians dead
The external affairs ministry said on Wednesday that two Indian nationals had died while one was missing in the attacks that have taken place on merchant vessels during the war in West Asia.
However, ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal did not give any details on when these deaths had taken place or which ships had been attacked.
“We have two Indian nationals whom we have lost, and one remains missing. We express our condolences to the families,” Jaiswal said during the media briefing. “This happened when they were on ships, a merchant mission, and that merchant mission came under attack,” Jaiswal said.
Citibank Dubai
Iran’s joint military command announced it would start targeting banks and financial institutions in West Asia. That would put at risk particularly Dubai, which is home to many international financial institutions, as well as Saudi Arabia and the island kingdom of Bahrain.
Soon, Citibank began evacuating the Dubai offices that long served as the bank’s West Asia headquarters, according to a staff notice reviewed by The New York Times. The note cites “heightened security concerns” and orders employees to find “the nearest safe place away from the office.”
Trump claim
Trump, who has sent contradictory signals about the duration of the war against Iran, told Axios on Wednesday that it would end soon because there was “practically nothing left to target”.
Airports targeted
Two Iranian drones hit near the Dubai airport, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates and the world’s busiest for international travel. Four people were wounded but flights continued, the Dubai Media Office said.
A fire broke out at Abu Dhabi airport after fragments fell from an intercepted military projectile, the Abu Dhabi media office said, adding that the fire was under control and caused no injuries.
Additional reporting by New York Times News Service and Agencies